Los Angeles-based Pacific Trellis Fruit expects to handle 2 million boxes of Mexican grapes this season.
The firm, owner of the Dulcinea Brand, has featured grapes since 1999 and continues to increase volume of both conventional and organic varieties, according to a news release.
“The crop out of Mexico this year is up nearly 20%, which relates to around 25.5 million boxes,” Earl McMenamin, senior sales executive for the company, said in the release. “Pacific Trellis’ 2 million boxes of volume this year will account for around 20 high-flavor varieties, which will begin packing the second week of May.”
This season’s grapes will be packed under the Dulcinea brand, the marketer said, with various bag and clamshell options offered to retail partners.
Growth track
The company’s Mexican grape selections include conventional and organic red, green, black and specialty varieties.
The release said Pacific Trellis’ specialty grapes kick off the last week of May with Tawny Red, a red seedless variety cross between a red globe and flame. Tawny Red is a large, round berry with great crunch and skin color that varies between dark red and crimson, the release said.
The Tawny variety is followed closely by Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe variety grapes, which the release said will begin the first week of June.
Pacific Trellis’ grape program in Mexico is rounded out with organic red and green varieties, which will start in May, with all colors ready for shelves the first week of July, according to the release.
“Our Mexican grape season has a tremendous advantage as it provides noninterrupted service and a bridge from the import season right into California production,” McMenamin said in the release “Our team prides itself on smooth varietal transitions for our customers.”
The firm’s entire Mexican table grape output arrives through the company’s primary warehouse in Nogales, Ariz., the release said, and from there is distributed to secondary warehouses in southern New Jersey and the Central Valley of California.
